iRobot Create Intro

CSC447 - Spring 2010

Overview

The Create from iRobot (which is the Roomba without the vacuum cleaner) can be controlled with a control module, but has limitations with respect to memory and accessories.  Since its original manufacture a number of APIs have been written to address these problems.  Among these is create.py, a Python API.  It appears that this software was created by the ERDOS project.

The Edos project has the aim of providing resources for robots in education, taking its cue from IPRE.

     – ERDOS goals and intro

          http://www.cs.hmc.edu/~dodds/erdos/

     – API intro

          http://www.cs.hmc.edu/~dodds/erdos/sigcse071.html

     – ERDOS pre-2008

          http://www.cs.hmc.edu/~dodds/erdos/old.html

     – Robot mapping

          https://www.cs.hmc.edu/twiki/bin/view/Robotics/RobotMapping

     – FastSLAM on Scribbler

          https://www.cs.hmc.edu/twiki/bin/view/Robotics/ScribblerTutorial

     – Myro & Fluke

          https://www.cs.hmc.edu/twiki/bin/view/Robotics/MyroFlukeSummer08

Information about this API and the hardware and software setup involved is also available elsewhere on the web.  Below are some of those links.

     – The API

          http://cs.gmu.edu/~zduric/cs101/uploads/Main/create.py

     – Installation

          http://cs.gmu.edu/~zduric/cs101/?n=Main.Installation

     – Tutorial

          http://cs.gmu.edu/~zduric/cs101/?n=Main.APITutorial

     – More on installation

          http://cs.gmu.edu/~sean/cs101/pmwiki.php/Main/Installation

     – Rootooth gives Create Bluetooth capabilities

          http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=684

          http://www.roombadevtools.com/docs_rootooth_userguide.pdf

          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RooTooth

               – Problems?

          http://createforums.irobot.com/irobotcreate/board/message?board.id=Createtest1&thread.id=1023

          http://forum.sparkfun.com/viewtopic.php?p=69575&sid=e0ea3e37c48a5eb5178ffd920a48b5a5

There are other approaches to using Create.  Among these is to place a netbook on top of it as a ride-along sensor processor and controller.  For example, this is being done at Lehigh and Duke.

     – Diary

          http://www.cs.duke.edu/csed/openwiki/doku.php?id=artsi:donovan

Others have taken a more hand-on-the-hardware approach:

     – Fun

          http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/10262